Midnight At Irbys
by TheGoofyCat
Summary: One-Shot. "Baby, I'm your soul mate disguised as your worst nightmare." She really couldn't stand him and his obnoxious self-importance. Spin-off to Summertime Blues.


**Authors Note: **Hey, new story! This time it's a one-shot but it is a spin-off to my other fic **Summertime Blues**, the characters in this fic feature in the story but I wanted to do a one-shot and this idea had been in my head. Hope you enjoy it! This one-shot was inspired by Taylor Swifts 'Blank Space' and I incorporated a lyric at the end but tweaked it a little.

Reviews always appreciated.

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**Midnight at Irbys  
TheGoofyCat**

The air was crisp and dry when he walked into the local pool hall at four minutes to midnight, not a customer in sight. He placed his jacket onto the stool and leaned into the counter, he waited for the bartender - and owner of the establishment - to greet him, and soon enough Irby came out of the back store, a cigarette in one hand and an old raggedy cloth in the other, he placed the cigarette between his lips and grabbed a dirty glass from the sink and began to polish it clean.

"You know we're closed in three minutes, Son." Irby said - but more like grumbled - through his mouth, the cigarette still sat between his lips. "Just like every Monday night. We're closed for everyone and that includes you, Mr. Merrill."

"C'mon, Irb." Ace grinned leaning in, "It's me you're talking to. Besides it's not like you haven't done it before." He raised his eyebrow slightly at Irby and the two shared a tough glance at each other for five seconds, until Ace's charm took effect and Irby gave in. Irby didn't have to say a thing, Ace already knew he had gotten his way. "The usual." He smirked as he sat himself down onto the stool next to his jacket.

"Alright, alright! Just the one." Irby sternly told him as he reached into the cool cupboard and brought out a bottle of beer and used the counter to pop the lid off, he passed the bottle to the loyal customer who came in nearly every night. "You best not tell your buddies about this, with you I'll make an exception, but those friends of yours!" He pointed a finger. "Well they're just planks. Father. God. Sonny. Jesus! I have never seen more of a bunch of idiots in my life, they got a few screw looses the both of 'em."

"I won't tell a living soul." Ace told him, placing his hand on his heart. It was a lie of course. "on my mother's life."

Irby, who was about to get into a heated rage about how Eyeball Chambers and Jack Mudgett had got into a fist fight in the mens room and had burst the pipes in the sink and the place was flooded for two days, was interrupted by the side door swinging open, his daughter busted in with a crate of beer in her arms, Ace smiled to himself as he watched her unsteadily waddle through the door, he could help her but then again where was the fun in that?

With all her might she lifted the crate onto the bar and let out a relieved sigh once it was out of her hands. She brought her right hand to her head and trailed the back of it along her forehead, wiping away the sweat from the heavy load. "Thanks for nothin', John." She gave him an unamused smile before reaching over the counter and pulling out a glass bottle of coke, her eyes never left his as she popped the lid off and it flew up in the air. Ace caught it and she turned her attention away from him.

"How 'bout this one's on me?" Ace pulled out his wallet that - just like his car - had 'Wild Card' engraved onto the leather skin, he placed a buck onto the counter for Irby to take.

"Why, Ace? You're just as sweet as this coke," She told him,he could taste the sarcasm in her voice. She brought the coke to her lips and tilted it a little as a sign of a thank you.

"How about a game?" He gestured to the pool table that had just been put away for the next day. "Just for old times sakes." He grinned as his eyes wandered down to her shoes and then made their way up from her bobby socks to her thighs, he couldn't care less if her father saw him looking.

She glared at him for making her cheeks blush in remembrance about to say something just as confident back to him but she was interrupted by her father.

"I told you it was last orders!" Irby told Ace, before turning his attention to his daughter. "Get the broom and start sweeping."

She knew there was a reason for Ace coming in at this hour and she had to find out. "Daddy, If you want to go home you can. I know what to do! I've seen you close shop all my life, I'm sure I can do it, given the chance?" She raised her eyes questionably and before Irby could protest she added, "Besides Ace's here, ain't nobody gonna start anythin' while he's around."

"Oh, alright," Irby gave in. "But not a word of this to your mother, she finds out I let you lock up on your own, she'd have a fit, you know what she's like." Irby took out the set of keys from his pocket and threw them at Ace, who caught them easily.

"If she asks,_ 'I just fell asleep at the drive-in with the girls, Mom.'_" She innocently smiled at him, sensing he was still unsure she added, "It's one game, we won't be long."

"Kids, I don't know when they get the time for games," He scoffed as he placed a kiss on his daughters forehead and then turned to Ace with a warning. "No funny buisness! If I come in to find that you and your buddies have all been in here I'll have your guts."

"You can trust me, Irb." Ace smirked at him. Irby took one last look at his daughter who smiled sweetly at him.

Her innocent smile soon disappeared as her father was out of sight, she then turned to Ace. "Rack it up will ya?"

"Sure thing," Ace nodded before downing his beer, he got up from the stool and walked over to the door and she watched as he locked the door and flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' before turning to her and smirking, "Two out of three!" He told her as he walked over to the pool table and set it up, all the while she never took her eyes off him, her fingers rubbed together and she found herself unconsciously peeling away her nail-polish, the pink flakes falling to the floor. "Ready?" He asked as he grabbed the cue stick and got ready to break.

"I'll break!" She told him as she snatched the cue stick out of his hand and walked over to the table.

"Usually it's me that does the breaking." Ace smugly told her it was no secret that he was more interested in breaking her then breaking the game. He watched her lean over the table about to take her turn, he chuckled slightly as he watched her slim legs get into position. As she leaned into her position, her left leg came out and she felt his gaze on her legs and heard his low chuckle.

He casually walked over to her and grabbed her coke that sat on the edge of the table and took a long swig from it as he placed it back down and stood himself behind her, he could hear her slow breathing with every step he took. The fingers from his left hand took a hold of the few strands of dark hair that had fell from the bobby pins that pinned her hair up and he tucked the strands behind her left ear before leaning into her, his chest touching her back and she could feel it moving up and down with every breath he took, she jumped slightly when she could feel his presence by her right ear. He placed both of his hands on the pool table and she was now trapped.

"Now, this seems vaguely familiar," He whispered into her ear, she could sense he still had the cocky smile stuck on his face. The same cocky smile he was well known around town for. She quivered at the feeling of his hot breath brush up against her right lobe and down her neck, thankfully it was too dark and he was not facing her for him to notice the blush on her cheeks, she coughed slightly, the tension was the only thing in the room that broke.

She placed the cue stick down and pulled the strand of hair out from behind her ear. "You've probably had tons of girls right in this very position, haven't you, Ace? It's no wonder you can remember, well actually maybe it is!"

"Nope just you." He menacingly leaned into her ear again.

She scoffed at first, "I find that very hard to believe." She leaned back a little her right arm coming up to push him away.

"Well believe it!" He growled as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her round, she stumbled into him as her leg twisted and he held her tightly.

"What are you doing?" She stuttered slightly and then took a shaky breath.

"You wanted to play a game, didn't you?" He raised his eyebrows at her as he looked down.

"Yeah, a game of billiards! Not one of your games!"

"But you always liked my games, didn't you? Al?" He grinned at her and she flinched at the old name he used to call her. "You sounded so innocent with 'Daddy' around, you almost had me fooled."

"Nothing gets past you though, does it?" She spat at him.

"Nope!" He grinned before tilting his head and lowering his tone, "Not even your virginity!"

"You disgust me." She pulled her wrist out of his grasp.

"That's not what you were saying three years ago, when you stood at this very spot and ripped the clothes off my chest!" He grinned, remembering the fond memory.

"You remember? I was hoping you forgot, I know I have." The lie coming out easier then she had imagined.

"Oh, there's some things you never forget." They locked eyes on each other for a moment before she broke the connection.

"What do you want, Ace? I know for a fact it wasn't for one last beer before the night ends, so what are you doing here?" She glared at him and she watched as he brought his hand to his head and scratched it, he replied with a shrug. "Is that it? Oh, come on, Ace. I know you and you know exactly why you're here."

"Bingo!"

"What?"

"That's it."

"That's what? What's it?" She frowned with confusion.

"You said you know me," He shrugged again. "You were right."

"And? Everyone knows _you, _Ace. That's the reason why you always get your own way." She walked past him, grabbed her coke and sat herself on the counter of the bar.

"Not the way you know me." He told her. "You know me better then anyone else in this town, well apart from three others but you're a close fourth."

"That's good to know." She rolled her eyes at him as she crossed her legs.

"And I know you!"

"I highly doubt that," She huffed.

You have the whole town thinking you're innocent when in fact you're far from it." He stated sitting himself up on the pool table. "I know for a fact that you hate working with your father, you hate walking anywhere, you dislike Elvis, you hate beer, you hate children and worst of all you hate the fact that you're not with me."

She chuckled and shook her head. "You know that's what is wrong with you, Ace. You see hate in everything. And you don't know me! I love working with my Daddy, I get free soda - thanks for paying for the coke when you didn't have to. What's the point of walking when I have a car? I don't mind Elvis. And why would I drink beer? I'm a girl. Who doesn't hate children apart from their parents? And the best thing of all is that _you_ hate the fact that I'm not with you!" She leaned back smugly folding her arms.

"You can tell yourself that all you want, Al. But I do know you!"

"I think you should leave!" She jumped off the bar walking over towards him. "You don't even want to know how much I hate you."

"Ohh. Look who sees the hate in everything now." He laughed.

"Shut up! That ain't true! I can list a whole lot of things you love but it's a very short list."

"Go on then," Ace nodded for her to continue.

"Yourself!"

"Well that's true, I ain't even gonna deny that." He chuckled before getting off the pool table, "Would you be a doll and pass me my jacket?"

"Here!" She spat as she threw the jacket at him, he caught it with another chuckle. "Before you leave, Ace. Tell me this, why are you here? You been drinking too much again?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you always come to me when you've had too much to drink, are you looking to apologize but never seem to let the words come out of your mouth? Or you hoping that I jump into your arms again?"

"How about I just like to torture you," He walked over towards her and placed his hands on both of her shoulders, "I know you still want me, Alison. Just like you know I want you."

"You only want me because you can't have me! And when you did have me, you didn't want me, you wanted my friend!" She tried to push him away but he was too strong.

"You still mad about that?" He scoffed. "That was years ago."

"She was my friend, John. And you seduced her."

"Is that what she said?"

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

She jumped slightly as he kicked away the stool that was between them both and leaned himself into her, their faces inches apart. "Well Betsy was the one who wanted me. When I found her half naked on the back seat of my car, how could I resist? So I made a mistake."

"You could have had anyone, Ace. I would have forgiven you, but not her, she was my best friend!" She squirmed away from him.

"Ah, c'mon we were never official anyway, we just had that one time, so I was free to do whoever I wanted."

"Yeah and that 'one time' you said you loved me!" She spat at him as the two locked eyes. "And then you went and screwed my friend the next day."

"And then you went steady with a buddy of mine." Ace spat back. "What do you see in him anyway? It sure ain't that brain of his that made you fall in love with him. You do love him right?"

"I do!"

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Look, Ace. Just leave before you say something you'll regret." She stared at him before he let his grip go and turned around, placing a hand through his hair.

"What if I do something that you'll regret?" He asked her and before she could reply, he grabbed her again and pushed his whole body onto her as their lips met. Every thought and memory in her mind was telling her to pull away before she could get hurt again but she couldn't. His hands trailed up her legs and made there way to her waist, he kept his left hand there as he brought up his right to hold her hair, he played with the pins that held her hair as their kissing turned up a notch, forcefully he picked her up and sat her on the pool table.

She couldn't help it as her fingers gripped the bottom of his shirt and she began to lift it up.

Unfortunately for Ace and fortunately for Ali the front door shook as someone tried to enter.

She broke the heated kiss and pushed him off of her quickly. Still sitting on the pool table she took out the compact mirror that always sat in her back pocket and checked herself over, removing every inch of guilt that graced her face. Ace was the one to unlock the door and greeted his pal.

"Jesus, what the hell happened here?" Eyeball chuckled noticing the state of the floor, glass everywhere, a broken stool. A quick flashback ran through her mind and the vision of Ace and her pushing away everything that got in their way to the floor came to her mind, how she hadn't heard or noticed she would never know.

"A customer had too much to drink. Ace stayed to help out." Alison replied almost robotically, just like being with Ace lying came natural to her.

Ace smirked, his hand covered the malicious smile as he wiped the lipstick off his mouth and his friend was oblivious to everything as always. "I'm gonna head off now you have Eyeball to help you," He winked at her. "So I'll be on my way."

"See ya, man." Eyeball nodded to him as he looked around. "So where's your old man?"

Ace passed her to pick up his jacket and whilst doing so he leaned into her ear, "You know I wish I hadn't locked the door!" He smiled receiving a cold hard stare in return.

She grabbed his arm before he had time to leave and it was now her turn to whisper into his ear. "You know you're my worst nightmare!"

"Baby, I'm your soul mate disguised as your worst nightmare." He chuckled before stepping out of the place.

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Thank you **sturmfrei **and **LadyGertrude **for reviewing.


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